System And Method For Delivering Audio Visual Content

ABSTRACT

A method of communicating audiovisual content to a viewer includes determining viewing preferences associated with a viewer, communicating the preference to a content controller, identifying an audiovisual content file corresponding to the preference, broadcasting the identified audiovisual content file over-the-air (OTA) to a set-top-box and storing the audiovisual content file.

RELATED APPLICATIONS/CLAIM FOR PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/831,136 filed on Apr. 8, 2019. Thisapplication is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/578,159 filed on Sep. 20, 2019 and to U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/591,767 filed on Oct. 3, 2019. The subject matter of each ofthese applications is incorporated in their entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure is directed to audiovisual (AV) content transmission andmore specifically, to caching the content for a viewer.

A recently adapted television standard, ATSC 3.0 (Advanced TelevisionSystems Committee) provides for the broadcast (over the air, OTA) oftelevision signals in a format that is similar to the format of datathat is communicated over a broadband/internet connection.

OTA interface is a traditional communication path for broadcasting toall receivers within a physical viewing or receiving range. Transmissionover a broadband (or network), on the other hand, can take place viaunicast (one destination) or multicast (multiple destinations).

Traditional consumer ISPs (Internet service providers), utilizingunicast data networks, are overwhelmed by video streaming traffic.During the peak hours (typically between 5 to 10 PM), video streamingcan consume as much as 90% of bandwidth. During non-peak periods,bandwidth is abundant and the marginal cost is effectively zero becauseISPs pay by bandwidth rather than aggregate packets sent/received.

Video content distribution companies were traditionally tied to aspecific delivery mechanism. Broadcast companies were tied to RF-based(Radio Frequency) broadcasts over antennas. Cable companies were tied toQAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) delivery over HFC (Hybrid FiberCoaxial) cable. Telephone communication companies used their direct,individual wiring (such as twisted-pair copper wires and later, fiber)to consumers' homes to deliver their content.

Broadcast mechanisms (such as cable, satellite, RF antenna Over-the-Air)require significant up-front investment but then have a significantlyreduced cost of delivery as the number of consumers watching aparticular program increase.

For any audiovisual (AV) content distribution company, consumer usagepatterns tend to ebb and flow. At times, many consumers view lots ofprograms and at other times, they view fewer programs. Contentdistribution companies need to plan their distribution capacityaccording to the peaks of their customers' viewing habits. There will betime periods where their capacity will be unused. In addition, somedistribution methods will have metered pricing, and that metered pricingmay also have different rates based on the time of day.

What is desired is a system and a method for efficiently broadcastingaudiovisual content to viewers.

The terms “user”, “viewer”, “customer” and “consumer” are usedinterchangeably within this disclosure. The terms “AV signals”, “AVcontent” and “AV program” are also used interchangeably.

SUMMARY

According to an exemplary embodiment, a method of delivering audiovisualcontent to a viewer is disclosed. The method comprises: determiningviewing preferences associated with a viewer; communicating thepreference to a content controller; identifying an audiovisual contentfile corresponding to the preference; broadcasting the identifiedaudiovisual content file over-the-air (OTA) to a set-top-box; andstoring the audiovisual content file.

According another exemplary embodiment, a system for providingaudiovisual content to a viewer is disclosed. The system comprises acontroller and a set-top-box. The controller is configured: to receive aviewer preference for an audiovisual content file; and to broadcast theaudiovisual content file over the air. The set-top-box is configured tocommunicate the viewer preference to the controller; and to store thereceived broadcast audiovisual content file.

According to a further exemplary embodiment, a set-top-box orapplication is disclosed. The set-top-box or application comprises: acommunication interface, a processor and a memory. The communicationinterface is configured to: receive broadcast audiovisual signals via anantenna; and receive and transmit data via a network connection whereinthe transmitted data includes viewing preferences of a viewer. Theprocessor is configured to convert the received audiovisual signals intoa display format. The memory stores the converted audiovisual signals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The several features, objects, and advantages of exemplary embodimentswill be understood by reading this description in conjunction with thedrawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify thesame or similar elements. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system according to exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a designated market area (DMA) broadcast systemaccording to exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a central content controller according to exemplaryembodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates a set-top-box (STB) according to emplary embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates a method according to exemplary embodiments; and

FIG. 6 illustrates the system of FIG. 1 in accordance with otherexemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are given toprovide a thorough understanding of embodiments. The embodiments can bepracticed without one or more of the specific details, or with othermethods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-knownstructures, materials, or operations are not shown or described indetail to avoid obscuring aspects of the exemplary embodiments.

Reference throughout this specification to an “exemplary embodiment” or“exemplary embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic as described is included in at least one embodiment.Thus, the appearances of these terms and similar phrases in variousplaces throughout this specification are not necessarily all referringto the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features,structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments. The headings provided herein are forconvenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning of theembodiments.

In an exemplary scenario, a viewer may wish to view an AV program at atime of her choosing. According to exemplary embodiments, the AV programmay be broadcast over the air (OTA) as a file and stored or cached on aviewer's set-top-box (STB) or in the memory of an application so theviewer can watch the program. The AV content can be broadcast and storedin a memory during time periods that are optimal to the contentdistribution company. Such stored content may be viewed by the viewer athis leisure.

According to exemplary embodiments, methods and systems are disclosedfor communicating audio visual (AV) content to a viewer. Signalscorresponding to the AV content may be broadcast over-the-air (OTA) andcached at the viewer premises.

A system in accordance with exemplary embodiments may be described withreference to FIG. 1. System 100 may comprise a central contentcontroller (CCC) 101 and a plurality of content controller proxies(CCPs) 110, 120, 130, 140 and 150. CCC 101 may be located in the cloud.Communication between CCC 101 and CCPs 110-150 may be over a network105. It may be a satellite, fiber, cable, or the like. The communicationmay be via an IP (internet protocol), WISP (wireless internet serviceprovider), 5G or broadband connection.

Each of the CCPs may be associated with a designated market area (DMA).CCP 110 may be associated with DMA1 as illustrated. Each CCP may receiveinstructions from CCC 101 to perform particular tasks. That is, thefunctionality of CCPs 110-150 may be controlled by CCC 101. Each CCP mayprovide information on its corresponding DMA to the CCC.

Each of the CCPs may serve a DMA that includes a plurality of userpremises. One such user premise 115 is illustrated. CCP1 110 maybroadcast audio visual (AV) signals 114 over the air (OTA) using abroadcast tower 112. User premise 115 may receive the broadcast signals114. User premise 115 may communicate with CCC 101 or with CCP1 110 vianetwork 105.

In some embodiments, AV content files may be archived in a memorylocated at CCC 101. AV content files may also be stored in one or morecontents server 160 located in the cloud—it need not be co-located withCCC 101. The AV content (located at 101 or 160 for example) may beaccessible to CCC 101 as well as to CCPs 110-150. Content server 160 mayalso be controlled by CCC 101.

Each of CCPs 510-550 may broadcast content that is specific to thecorresponding DMA. Such “local” content may be from channels or sourcesspecific to the DMA. As an example, CCP1 110 may correspond to a DMAassociated with Boise, ID and may broadcast AV signals for programmingthat is specific to Boise such as news, weather, sports, schoolinformation, traffic, etc. CCP4 140 may correspond to a DMA associatedwith San Francisco, Calif. and may broadcast AV signals for programmingthat is specific to San Francisco.

An exemplary system for implementation in a designated market area (DMA)is illustrated in FIG. 2. In system 200, two viewer premises 220 and 230are shown purely for illustrative purposes—many such premises existwithin a typical DMA. In the following description, functionalityassociated with systems and methods of viewer premise 220 arehighlighted. The description can apply similarly to any and all otherviewer premises such as premise 230 for example.

System 200 may include a content controller proxy (CCP1) 210broadcasting over the air (OTA) AV signals 214 within a DMA using abroadcast tower/antenna 212. The broadcast signals may be received byany viewer premise having an antenna within the DMA.

Viewer premise 220 may include an antenna 226 for receiving thebroadcast AV signals. The AV signals received by the antenna can beprocessed by a set-top-box (STB) 222. Viewer premise 220 may alsoinclude, inter alio, a communication interface 224 and a monitor 228.

AV content may also be communicated as data files via network 205(similar to network 105 of FIG. 1). The files communicated over network205 may be received at user premise 220 by communication interface 224.

The broadcast AV signals received by antenna 226 and AV content receivedby interface 224 may be processed (decoded, etc.) by STB 222 and storedin a memory associated with the STB. The AV signals and/or content maybe displayed on monitor 228.

Data may be communicated by/from STB 222 to CCP1 210 via network 205 (aswell as to CCC 101 of FIG. 1). User interactions/preferences can becommunicated by STB 222 for example.

STB 222 of FIG. 2 is depicted as a hardware device purely forillustrative purposes. STB 222 can also be software application. It canbe a software application running on a smart TV for example. Therefore,a set-top-box (STB) as referred to in this disclosure can encompass ahardware and/or a software implementation/version.

A central content controller (CCC) in accordance with exemplaryembodiments is illustrated in FIG. 3. CCC 300 may include, but is notlimited to, a processor 310, a memory 320, a communication interface 330and a system bus 340 for interconnecting each of these components in aknown manner. A CCP may comprise similar components as CCC 300 and maybe configured similar to CCC 300.

Interface 330 may provide communication between CCC 300 (or CCC 101 ofFIG. 1) and the plurality of CCPs in their respective DMAs and STBs 222,232 (of FIG. 2). CCC 300 may be a server located in the cloud. Thecommunication between CCC 300 and the CCPs and/or STBs 222, 232 may bevia network 105 (of FIG. 1) or 205 (of FIG. 2).

CCC 300 may have AV content stored within memory 320. In someembodiments, AV content may be archived in multiple locations.

A set-top-box (STB) in accordance with exemplary embodiments isillustrated in FIG. 4. STB 400 (labeled as 222 in FIG. 2) may include,but not limited to, a processor 410, a memory 420, a communicationinterface 430 and a system bus 440 for interconnecting each of thesecomponents in a known manner.

Communication interface 430 may receive viewer inputs via a remotecontrol or a keyboard or other such input device 450. Interface 430 mayreceive AV content via an antenna 470 (if signal is broadcast/broadcastmulticast for example) or from IP, WISP, 5G and broadband 480.

Interface 430 may also provide communication with a display or monitor(e.g. TV) 460 for displaying AV content. The display may have audiooutput for playing the audio component of the AV content. Interface 430may also communicate data with CCC 101 of FIG. 1 or the correspondingCCP (one of 110-150 of FIG. 1 for example). The data may include viewerinput. The data may also include viewer profile generated by/within STB400. Memory 420 may store the received audiovisual data for viewing at atime chosen by the viewer.

The STB could be any reception device. It need not be limited to atypical hardware device as highlighted above. It can be any device (orsoftware) that comprises, but not be limited to, a processor, storage,internet connection and broadcast reception. It can be a mobile phone, atablet, a laptop, a desktop or the like. It can be an app running on anyof these devices. Each of those components (or software modules) may bein a single device or in multiple devices (such as network-attachedstorage, etc.).

A method 500 in accordance with exemplary embodiments is illustrated inFIG. 5. A viewer preference may be determined at 510. A viewer mayidentify a plurality of programs or AV content files the viewer wishesto view (a “wish list” of sorts). A list of available programs may bepresented to the viewer in known manner such as based on programs viewedor by a search initiated by the viewer. The viewer may interact with aset-top-box (STB) via a remote control, a mouse, a pointing device, viavoice, etc.

In some embodiments, viewer preference may be determined usingpredictive modeling techniques. Such techniques may identify programsbased on viewer's viewing habits, for example. The set ofpre-distributed content can also be targeted per viewer, using pastviewing habits as a predictor for future viewing. This content can befree to the viewer, can be included in a subscription plan, can be paidfor with an individual transaction or can be monetized via advertising.

In addition to stated viewer preferences or automatically predictedviewer preferences, an editor can decide what to include in a broadcast.This can be relevant at the initial stages before migration or evolutionto the predictive modeling techniques.

The preferences may be determined and stored in memory associated withSTB 222 (of FIG. 2). Set-top-box 222 may communicate the preferencesexpressly indicated by the viewer or preferences determined by thepredictive techniques to CCC 101 (of FIG. 1).

The preference may be communicated at 520. An AV file corresponding tothe communicated preference may be identified at 530. The identified AVfile may be communicated at 540. The communicated AV file may be storedat 550.

The stored content may be removed upon viewing of the received file orupon reaching pre-set expiration date for example. The broadcast mayutilize digital sub-channels for broadcasting the identified AV content.

In some embodiments, a DMA can be served without a dedicated contentcontroller proxy (CCP) as illustrated in FIG. 6. In system 600, DMA1(and viewer premise 615) may have content broadcast from CCC 601 or froman AV content server 660.

In embodiments where a CCP is not present within a DMA, programming orcontent that is relevant to the particular DMA may be received by CCC601 or server 660 from the broadcasring source (such as a channel localto that particular DMA for example). Server 660 may also comprisecomponents similar to those of CCP 101 (or 601) and be configuredsimilarly. A CCP may be used as a backup in certain implementations toprovide redundancy.

In some embodiments, CCC 101 may receive multiple preferences from oneviewer, one preference from multiple viewers or multiple preferencesfrom multiple viewers. CCC 101 may then identify a plurality of AV filescorresponding to these preferences. The AV files may then be broadcastin a carouseling manner. That is, if N files are identified forbroadcast, then they can be broadcast sequentially from file 1 to file Nin the following sequence: 1, 2, 3, . . . , N. Upon broadcasting of Nfiles, the process may be repeated starting with file 1 and continuingto file N. Each file may be broadcast in its entirety before the nextfile is broadcast.

The broadcast list may be dynamic (i.e. not static). During broadcastingof files 1 to N, other files may be added and some may be removed. If afile is added, it can be assigned file number N+1. If a file a removed,identification of the remaining files may be moved up by one (e.g. file5 can become file 4, etc.).

In other embodiments also using the carouseling manner, a (first)portion of each of files 1, 2, 3, . . . , N may be broadcastsequentially followed by a (second) portion of these files (i.e. 1, 2,3, . . . , N). This process may continue until all portions of all thefiles are broadcast. The entire process may repeat itself upon thebroadcast of all files and portions thereof. That is, the files may bebroadcast in a loop that can be repeated a pre-designated number oftimes over a pre-set period of time.

AV files may be added to the list based on new preferences beingreceived by CCC 300 (of FIG. 3 or CCC 101 of FIG. 1). Upon successfulreceipt of a particular file (that corresponds to a preference sent by aSTB), the STB may send a receipt acknowledgement to CCC 300. If noadditional unfulfilled requests for that particular file remain, the AVcontent file may be removed from the broadcast list.

AV content files may be broadcast in a compressed format fordecompression by a STB. Only the STBs that requested a particular AVfile may receive the file broadcast by a controller. In this regard, thebroadcast may effectively operate in a broadcast-multicast manner. Thatis, even though an AV content file is being broadcast (available to anyantenna within a service area of the broadcast source), only the STBsthat requested a particular AV file may be able/allowed/authorized toreceive the file.

STBs may also receive partial files. The STB may be turned off during aportion of the broadcast. It may be using all of its tuners for otherfiles, broadcasts or video streams. Power outages or weather conditionsmay also interference with receiving the broadcast.

Every storable segment of the broadcast will have a unique identifierthat associates that segment of content with the overall AV file that itis a part of. Each segment will also know the total number of segmentsfor the file as well as what number it is in the total count. So forexample, if a STB gets a partial broadcast of a file, it would know thatit has segments 7-24 of AV file X and that when AV file X is broadcastagain in the carousel, it only needs to store segments 1-6.

The missing file elements or remaining portions can be acquired in afollowing or subsequent broadcast (carouseling). If the need to have thecomplete file is more urgent, the remaining or incomplete portions of afile can be received over an IP unicast connection.

An audiovisual content file received by STB 400 may be stored in memory420. If a requested or desired program is already cached on the device(i.e. STB), the content may readily be available for the viewer.

Using broadcast distribution technologies, the content distributor canrotate what content is available for download using a carouselingtechnique. The various devices that consume content can then downloadand store that content as it is broadcast. Over time, each device willcollect the full set of broadcasted content.

This may necessitate a catalog of content to be sent ahead of time to aSTB so that it (the STB) knows what content should be on its localstorage and can keep track of what has been stored and what has not beenstored. This catalog can be targeted and personalized per user.

If the full catalog may take a significant amount of time to be fullydownloaded, and if most of the content has been downloaded and some keyparts have not, the STB can locate and fill in the missing parts of itscatalog via unicast delivery of content (instead of waiting for thecontent to arrive via the broadcast carousel). This can be done at atime of day when unicast delivery is less expensive.

The AV content that is broadcast and cached at a viewer premise may bebroadcast at different speeds. It can be broadcast at a higher speed byincreasing the bandwidth that is allocated for broadcast. The file sizeof an encoded video file can be decreased. This can be accomplished byutilizing a more effective codec compression such as going from H.264 toHEVC/H.265 or by reducing the bitrate that the file is encoded; that is,decreasing the quality by reducing the amount of space that each frameof the video takes up or by reducing the resolution of the video file(from 4K to 1080p or 720p). A number of techniques can be combined toreduce the file size even further.

In this scenario, an AV file that might be 30 minutes in duration forviewing may be broadcast in less than that time (i.e. <30 minutes).

A smaller file (with a constant bandwidth) can be transmitted at afaster rate. Conversely, a larger file (with a constant bandwidth) canbe transmitted at a slower rate.

An AV file may be broadcast at a lower speed by decreasing the bandwidthallocated for the broadcast. It can also be reduced by increasing theresolution. In this scenario, an AV file that might be 30 minutes induration for viewing may be broadcast in more than that time (i.e. >30minutes).

Although exemplary embodiments have been disclosed, it will be apparentto those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications canbe made which will achieve some of the advantages of embodiments withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Suchmodifications are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

Further, in the description and the appended claims the meaning of“comprising” is not to be understood as excluding other elements orsteps. Further, “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality, and a singleunit may fulfill the functions of several means recited in the claims.

The above description of illustrated embodiments and what is describedin the Abstract below, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theembodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Although specificembodiments of and examples are described herein for illustrativepurposes, various equivalent modifications can be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the disclosure, as will be recognized bythose skilled in relevant art.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, ifnecessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications andpublications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of communicating audiovisual (AV)content to a viewer, the method comprising the steps of: determiningviewing preferences associated with a viewer; communicating thepreferences to a content controller; identifying an audiovisual contentfile corresponding to the preferences; broadcasting the identifiedaudiovisual content file over-the-air (OTA) to a set-top-box associatedwith a viewer; and storing the audiovisual content file.
 2. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: receiving an input from the viewer, theinput representing the viewer preferences.
 3. The method of claim 1,further comprising: communicating the preferences via a networkconnection.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determiningthe viewer preference based on a viewer profile.
 5. The method of claim4, wherein the viewer profile is based on predictive modeling.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: identifying a plurality ofaudiovisual content files corresponding to the preferences; andbroadcasting the identified plurality of audiovisual content files in acarouseling manner that is repeated in a loop.
 7. The method of claim 6,further comprising: determining that at least a portion of a contentfile has been broadcast; and requesting the already broadcast portion besubmitted via a unicast connection.
 8. The method of claim 6, furthercomprising: determining that at least one of identified content fileshas been broadcast; waiting for a next loop to broadcast the at leastone identified file; receiving the at least one identified file; andstoring the received file.
 9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:broadcasting a catalog to at least one of a plurality of viewers,wherein the catalog identifies a plurality of audiovisual content filesdesignated for transmission to the at least one viewer.
 10. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: broadcasting the audiovisual contentfiles during a non-peak time.
 11. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: broadcasting the audiovisual content files via sub-channels.12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: removing files frommemory upon an occurrence of a pre-determined event.
 13. A system forproviding audiovisual content to a viewer, comprising: a controllerconfigured to receive a viewer preference for an audiovisual contentfile; and to broadcast the audiovisual content file over the air; and aset-top-box associated with a viewer, the box configured to communicatethe viewer preference to the controller; and to store the receivedbroadcast audiovisual content file.
 14. The system of claim 13, furthercomprising: a network connection for providing a communication link fromthe set-top-box to the controller.
 15. The system of claim 13, furthercomprising: a plurality of set-top-boxes communicating preferences for aplurality of viewers to the controller; and the controller is furtherconfigured to broadcast the audiovisual content files utilizing acarouseling technique.
 16. A set-top-box comprising: a communicationinterface configured to: receive broadcast audiovisual signals via anantenna; and receive and transmit data via a network connection, thetransmitted data including viewing preferences of a viewer; a processorconfigured to: convert the received audiovisual signals into a displayformat; and a memory for storing the converted audiovisual signals.